Powder-dispensing apparatus



1930. E. BRUNHOFF POWDER DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Dec 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 21, 1930. E. BRUNHOFF POWDER DISPENSING APPARATUS- Filed Dec. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 21, 1930 EDWARD BRUNHO'FF, WYOMING, om hssIe-uoR-mo THE Armenia Ernornic I COMPANY, on RACI'NZE, Wisconsin, A oonroamnon OF W-IsooNsm- IEOwDER-DISPENSING AIEPARATUS= Appli'cation filed December 5, 1925. Serial No. 73,511

My invention relates to improvjement's in.

powder dispensing apparatus. On'eof'its objects is to provide improved means to dispense merchandise in pulverulent' form. as

" for instance, at drug stores and soda f'ou n tains. Another objectist'oprov'ide improved means, to regularly dispense 1 substantially u'niform volumes of the" articles to be dispensedi Another object is to provideimproved means to hold and feed the articlesto be dispensed'tothe-measuring and dispensing apparatus.v Another object is'to provide improved meanstocatch and hold' the arti--- cle's delivered from the measuring anddisto; discharge the same when required into a glass. or-other eontalner'present'ed to 'the de-- liverfhopperto receive the same. Another; object is to provide an improved supporting 2e container for the dispensing apparatus. M'v

invention also comprisescertain details of form and arrangement; and combination of components, all of which Will befully set forth inthe. description of the accom' anymg .gfidratvinggj whk Fig; I is aside elevation of a powd'er dis pensing apparatus embodying my invention".

Fig. 2 is a front elevation-of the'sarneJ Fig. 3' is a horizontal section through the same/taken on line3'3%ofFig.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view-"taken on lin'e4 EofFig;3. H Fig. 5 "s a sectional vievvftakenon line 5--5ofFig.4." M as Figs; 6 and 7 are perspective viewsof the powder feeding and measuring spider;

' Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the'aetuatiug ratchet wheel detached. 7 p Fig. 9 is a perspective view of'the-actuating 4o levera'nd paw-l detached. 7 Fig. 10' is a side elevation of'the' powder agitating member detached.

Fig. 1']. isa perspective view oft'he ratchet wheel engaging stop plunger detached. v Fig. 12 is aperspective view of thed'eliverv hopper door detached.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of'the spider -v cover plate detached.

pensing apparatus in adeliveryhopper and The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment offTm'y invention in which 15 represents the supporting standard having a relatively widebase'lfi' recessed*he-- neath the delivery-hopper aver to provide ample room to introduce a'gl'ass or other con tainer' beneath said-hopper. The base 16 is,; preferably; provided upon its under face with a series of soft rubber vacuumcups or suck ers, 18, to serve as a soft or cushioned sup 1' port for the base resting upoinytl'ie smooth upperface of a; show-case or counter;- and at the same time to 'aet automatically to hol 'al i the base more firmly in place to thereby resist accidental or other pressure tendiirgto upset the dispensing apparatus. 1

Mounted upon the standard 15 is a ca si-ng- 19 having a chamber 20 which is mounted the actuating mechanism. a deliveryhopper i 21, and an upwardlyopen chamber-22; in; p which is mounted the dispensing apparatus? A tubular receiving hopper 24, preferably of sheet metal, is detachably and-telescopically attached to the open mouth ofthe chamber 22. A lid 25' preferably provided with a transparent panel'or window 26 i'shiirg'ed tog portion-of the Chamber 22' to theupper' ends i of the delivery hopper. The se'etion 19 is provided with inwardly directedprojections 32 to which-the sect-ion- 28 is detachablyheld by" means of counter-sunk screws 33 passing through the'bottojm of section 28 and thread? ed in tothe'projec'tions 321 Thedeliveryhkfi'p peer is provided with side projectio'ns 34'which are detachab ly attached to the section-1:9 9& means of screws 35,-to hold the delivery hopper in place.

A short vertical; shaft 40 isjjournaled' at its lower end to the section: lf and at an 111%2611118 di'ate poiut is journaled in a journal hoxzor" ma perforation in the bottom of section 28. A

' laterally projecting pin 39 above the fioor of section 28 limits the downward movement of the shaft 40. --A measuring and dispensing spider has a hub 41 to fit detachably upon the upperend of shaft 40 within the lower cylindrical portion of chamber'22 and radially directed arms 42 extending into close contact with the inner face of the cylindrical wall portion of member 28. The spider hub 41 has a recess 43 to receive the projecting portion of the pin 39 to thereby lock the hub 41 and arms 42 to the shaft 40 andcau'se them to revolve with the shaft 40. 5 i Within the chamber 20 a ratchetwheel'44 is mounted rigidly upon the shaft 40. The ratchet wheel periphery is provided with a series of teeth 45 and interposed flat or plane sections. or spaces 46. A spring actuated plunger havingan enlarged flat or. plane faced head 47 is mounted to move endwise in v springing back into position to engage the face on the ratchet wheel and thereby forcplane'face of the plunger head with a plane ing the ratchet-wheel 44; the shaft 40, and the spider hub 41 and arms 42 to assume one for another of a series of uniformly spaced, 40.'

and predetermined positions, with one pair of the spider arms registering upon opposite boundaries of the delivery port-30leading from thechamber 22 to thedelivery hopper.

An actuating lever 51' is loosely journaled upon the shaft adjacent'to the ratchet wheel and has pivotally attached thereto a pawl 50 in position to engagejsuccessively;

the teeth of the ratchet wheel and feed the ratchet wheeland shaft40 forwardfstep-bystep as the actuating lever-51 is rocked for= wardly and backwardly upon theshaft 40. A grasshopper type of spring 52 holds the pawlin position to engage .thjeratchetteeth and another grasshopper type of spring 53 servesto move :the "actuating lever backwardly after each forward movement of said lever under the hand of the operator; I The fiWithinxthe chamberv 22 and abovevthe free end of the actuating lever 51 extends through a slot 53' in the side of the casing 19 in position to be grasped by an operator.

spider members 4,1 and 42, and opposite the V delivery port 30 is a plate 55 which has a series of spurs or projections 56 entering cor-. responding recesses. 1n the inner face of the casing 28 to hold the peripheral portion of said plate 55 in place relative to the casing member 28. The central portion of the plate 55 is perforated for the passage of the upper end of the shaft 40, and seats upon or around a cylindrical shoulder 57 at the upper end of the spider hub 41 which serves to retain the central portion of plate 55 in place and also toform a journal support for the upper end ofthe hub 41 and shaft'40. The plate 55 prevents the passage of the powder direct-ly from the receiving hopper in the port 30, but provides for the powder to be fed by the spider arms 42 from the chamber 22 laterally to a positionbeneath the plate 55 where it is discharged through the port 30 into the discharge hopper. An agitator 58 is secured to the reduced upper end of the which serve, to scrape the powder from the upper portion'of the walls of. chamber 22,

and to loosenvand feed-the powder downwardly within the receiving hopper intothe spaces'betweenthespider arms 42 so as to fill said spaces anddeliver substantially uni-.

form volumes of powder at each movement oft-he actuating lever.

-A. loor'or plate6O cl osesjthe lower endof the discharge hopp'er21, being hinged 211161 to* the exterior of said hopper 21, and held nor-' mally in closed position by means of a grass hopper type of spring 625 The plate 60 is provided at oppositesides thereof with downwardly directed projections 63 positionedand adapted to be engaged by the upper edge of'a glass or otheropen mouthedcontainer ,64, and shifted thereby from. a closed to' open position as ShOWIL'iIl full and dotted lines 1, and serving to depressthe plate "60 into the upper endof the container 64, so as to guide and'discharge the contents of the discharge hopper 2'1 intothe container64. The actuating lever may thus be actuated at or previously to presenting the container 64 tothe plate 60 and projections 63.

' The base'l6 :is' of considerable weight preferably having an extra or separately weighted member 74 housed-within a relatively thin shell 73"constituting an integral lower extensionof thefstandard 15', adapted to be polished and electroplated, or otherwise exteriorly finished; The: members 19, 15; '74

and 73-are adaptedto be'detachably assenr bled, andclamped togetherby means of a bolt 71 and nut 72; see 1. v The weight, of thebase in conjunction with the rubber vacuum cups, 18, servetorigidly hold the apparatus in place so as to effectually resist any normal strain tending to release or upset the apparatus, and Without liability to injure the smooth-faced counter or other article serving as a support therefor..

The apparatus herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable modifica-. tion within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

lVhat I claim is 1. Powder dispensing apparatus comprising a powder receiving chamber having a discharge port through its floor at one side thereof, a vertically disposed actuating shaft extending through and partly above the floor of said chamber, a powder measuring and feeding member detachably mounted upon said shaft within and resting upon the floor of said chamber and rotatable with said shaft, a substantially horizontal plate located stationarily above a. portion of said measuring and feeding member and vertically above said discharge port, an actuating ratchet wheel mounted rigidly upon said shaft below the floor of said chamber,'a manually operable lever provided with a pawl to engage the teeth of said ratchet wheel provided with a series of ratchet teeth and interposed plane faces, a plunger having a head to contact with the plane faces of said ratchet wheel and to yield and ride over the teeth of said ratchet wheel, means to yieldingly hold said plunger in contact with the periphery of said ratchet wheel, and a manually operable lever provided with a pawl to engage the teeth of said'ratchet wheel to intermittently feed said ratchet wheel and shaft forward a fraction of a revolution, said plunger acting upon the plane faces of said ratchet wheel in both forward and reverse direction to bring said ratchet wheel and signature. a EDWARD BRUNHOFE to intermittently feed said shaft and measuring and feeding member rotatably in one direction, and a resiliently actuated plunger held yieldingly in engagement with said ratchet wheel to check rotation of said shaft in either forward or reverse direction at predetermined positions of said shaft.

2. Powder dispensing apparatus comprising a powder receiving chamber, a powder measuring and feeding member operable to intermittently feed powder from said chamber,-a powder delivery port, manually op- I erable means to intermittently actuate said measuring and feeding member, a stop member rotatable with said measuring and feeding member and provided with a plurality of plane faces corresponding to the stop positions of said feeding member, 'and'a resiliently actuated plunger in position to yieldingly successively engage said plane faces to predetermine the stop positions of I said measuring and feeding member, independently of variable amounts of energy ap- I plied to said actuating means.

' 3. Powder dispensing apparatuscompris-- ing a powder receiving chamber having a discharge port through its floor at one side thereof, a vertically disposed actuating shaft extending through the floor of said chamber,

a powder measuring and feeding member resting upon the floor of said chamber and adapted tobe rotatably driven by said shaft,

a substantially horizontal plate above a portion of said measuring and feeding member and stationarily mounted relative to said receiving chamber, saidplate being located vertically above the chamber discharge port, a ratchet wheel to rotate said actuatingshaft 

